Jake Fowles gets to grips with the powerhouse of the Browning Xitan range.
I am finding myself increasingly impressed with what tackle manufacturers are able to introduce to the market; the advancements in what bang we get for our buck has improved drastically, even in the 10 or so years since I was working as a sales assistant down at my local tackle shop.
Although most of these developments span right across the board, there is no one area that impresses me quite as much as the mid-range pole market, such is the standard of what is now available, and despite it being, in my opinion, the most competitive and difficult to conquer price point for poles.
It is the £1,499 priced Browning Xitan Z7-2 (Power Special) that I have at my disposal today, a pole that slots itself nicely into the mid-range pole bracket.
Joe Carass gets an early look at the fantastic new Frenzee Precision 6E FXT flagship pole.
Frenzee is a brand that just keeps on producing the goods. I have been so impressed with the products it has brought to the table in recent years; it always likes to do things its own way and always has some interesting ideas and innovations that set its products apart from the rest.
We managed to get hold of the first-ever model of the brand-new Precision 6E FXT.
Ferocious wind, hard-fighting fish and snags to pull them away from in every direction… if Carlsberg did pole tests…
Rookery Waters in Cambridgeshire is my venue of choice to put the eagerly awaited Colmic Airon F66 through its paces, and more specifically the venue’s Magpie Lake. Like all of the lakes here at Rookery, Magpie has a healthy stocking of mixed species with carp being the most prominent species on offer, and hard-fighting ghost carp a key target for visitors to the venue.
During the summer months the lake’s surface is largely covered by picturesque lily pads, and although they dwell below the water’s surface as we exit winter and make our way into spring their stems and emergent buds still remain below and form a safe haven for any hooked fish to dive straight into.
Sitting myself on Peg 35 gave me a swim smack bang in front of the largest area of submerged lilies on the lake.
Match Fishing’s David Haynes takes two new waggler rods from Rive for an outing.
Rive? That’ll be seatboxes then.
Well, yes, but not this time. The French tackle giant now has so many more items of tackle worth serious consideration than ‘just’ seatboxes.
Drennan Red Range Target Carp Pole -
Joe Carass gets out on the bank with Drennan’s new Target Carp pole to see whether it is a hit or a miss.
I must admit, I do enjoy getting the chance to test poles at the cheaper end of the scale. Poles under £500 always surprise me with their quality and usability.
The Drennan Target Carp is the latest in this price range to find its way into my mitts; a 14.
Matt Godfrey takes Maver’s mid-range marvel for a spin at a very testing Lindholme Lakes!
Poles in this price bracket really do have their work cut out. You can expect to pay around £1,200 for the 14. 5m package or £999 for the 13m version. In my experience, you see poles of this ilk in more situations than any others.
The WorkHorse! Matt Godfrey takes to the bank of Aston Park Fisheries with one of the latest top-end poles from Sensas…
During the autumn I met Mark Downes at Barston Lakes to look at the new range of Sensas poles. I’m always straight in at the deep end on days like this, and I was no different this time. “Show me the best and most expensive one in the range,” is normally my opening gambit. This year, that’s the 895.
Tiny Ticklers!Jake Fowles gets out on the bank with the Commercial King Tickler range of rods from Browning…
Since starting here at Match Fishing a lot of my tackle testing has revolved around poles, so when features editor Matt Godfrey tasked me with testing the latest bite-size rods from Browning, I welcomed the opportunity with open arms. The Commercial King Carp Tickler and lighter F1 Tickler are 7ft rods, with the construction being one main section and an interchangeable tip section, with the choice of either a 0. 5oz or 1oz tip provided as standard. This allows for a quick and easy setup, with storage in a ready rod bag or the provided rod sleeve made simple.
•Three pole-retaining options
•EVA foam coated
•Compact and practical
RRP: £12. 99
Don't forget - subscribers to the magazine get 5% OFF THIS PRODUCT at Angling Direct. Subscribe here
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Simply Sublime!Tom Scholey gets on the bank with Maver’s latest range of bolo rods, and is left very impressed.
My day out with these rods has got to be one of the most enjoyable day’s tackle testing I have had in a very long time. There is something mesmerising about easing a float through on a pacey river, holding it back and then watching it disappear under the surface! This effect is enhanced, of course, if you are using a sublime piece of tackle, like Maver’s new Superlithium Green Power bolognese rod, to aid you in your quest! I have been lucky enough to visit the Reglass factory in Bologna, Italy, where these rods are manufactured – and having seen the processes used to make them I knew they would be quality.
In fact, bolognese rods are one area where quality tackle is probably more important than in many other areas, because you have to hold them for long periods as you are fishing to achieve good presentation.
In a world of its own!Match Fishing brings you Browning’s hottest new flagship pole, claimed to be the best Browning has ever made…
When a company claims that it has produced something better than anything else it has ever seen, you simply have to get excited! Match Fishing was invited to the revealing of Browning latest flagship pole at Aston Park Fisheries in Sheffield this month… but was this top-end tool all that it was made out to be?
The Target…
The Browning Sphere Zero-G F1 Plus is designed with serious pole and match anglers in mind. Browning is more than happy to state this. The features, package and performance of the pole are tailored towards this audience. So, just what can you expect from this weapon?
Match-Winning Performance?
On arriving at Aston Park, you could certainly tell where the main attraction was… right where the crowds were! Set up at 13 metres, the pole looks sublime and super stiff.
The Acolytes. . . after 14 months of hammer! -Matt Godfrey has been putting Drennan’s Acolyte poles through their paces for well over a year now, but are they holding up to the pressure?
Idare say that there aren’t many people who’ll put a pole through its paces in a year in the same way I will.
Unbelievable Value!
Tom Scholey gets on the bank with the Maver Oculus 999, a pole he believes sets a new standard in mid-range pole performance.
To say that I was extremely impressed with this pole would be the king of all understatements. Value for money-wise, it is among the very best I have tested. Why? Because it is probably the only pole that I have tested in its price point that performs exceptionally well at its full length.
Blink And You’ll Miss It!
Match Fishing magazine’s chief sub editor David Haynes recounts a tale of loss, and rejoices at the return of a faithful friend.
After doing this fishing stuff for a good many years you think you pretty much know what to do and what not to do, until something comes along and catches you out… In a match at the famous Glebe fishery recently I should have been prepared for the ferocity of some of the carp bites – I’ve seen the tip go round here a few times before, and I know that when they want the bait they take it… and how! I was fishing a bomb and pellet at a gentle lob’s distance, and having cast out and set the rod in the rest I turned round on my seatbox to reach something behind me. I wasn’t clipped up and the clutch on my Team Daiwa 3012D reel was set lightly, so I was a little confused by the splashy gurgling noise coming from where my rod had just been.
Spinning round, I saw it bounce into the lake and motor off away from me.
Choose Your Nemesis!Matt Godfrey and Jake Fowles test two of the hottest weapons from Matrix – the flagship Nemesis and the Nemesis 1000… but who will come out on top?
The Nemesis – Matt Godfrey A few weeks ago I was on a feature with Andy Geldart. After wrapping it up I was itching to have a go, and jumped on his box. On picking up his pole, I was gobsmacked! I couldn’t believe Matrix hadn’t pushed and advertised this weapon more, and got in touch with the company to send one for testing.
Moorfields Farm Fisheries at Goole was the ideal testing ground, but editorial assistant Jake Fowles was at my heels with the Nemesis’ little sister pole, the Nemesis 1000, making him my nemesis for the day! After Jake plonked himself on the best peg in the lovely reed-strewn corner, I had to settle for an open-water swim.
